A Lesson on Cause and Effect

Because one person approached me about a 5K for Samantha...
Because a group of fine women created a committee...
Because friends, family, and complete strangers donated money...
Because people volunteered so much of their precious time and resources...
Because local businesses were touched by Samantha and joined in...
Because the community reached out to our family...
Because some journalist wrote beautiful articles...
Because a woman made Samantha a blanket...
Because a huge crowd cheered for Sammy when we crossed the finish line...
Because after the 5k, Lil' Samsquatch got hundreds of hits...
Because we are continuing to receive donations...
(Only to name a few "because's")

I have felt the love of the Lord.

This past week I've laid low.  I've been a little sick (nothing terribly serious, just bothersome) and then I had a little relapse right when I thought I was getting better.  A big fat Grrr to that!  During this time, though, I've thought a lot.  It's hard for me to explain how this entire experience has changed me.  Grateful.  Yes.  Most definitely I feel a more intense amount of gratitude.  How can you not feel gratitude when you see the community around you envelope you with their support?  Let me just say...our goal was to raise $3,000.  Sweatin' for Sammy -- with all the participants who registered, personal donations, and business sponsors -- brought in $11,000.  Do you know what that means?  This insures that Samantha will attend Now I Can two times, instead of just once for now.  That is incredible.  I have felt more gratitude as I've begun planning for our trip to Utah in September.  It's becoming so real to me.  Marcus and I wanted to take Samantha annually for as long as we can...but we never imagined that so soon we'd be able to insure her future there.  Miraculously, we have another fundraiser that friends in Michigan are putting together.  Three times to this therapy?  Is that even possible?!  Knowing that Marcus' post-doctoral position ends in September, we are very aware that his job status may come to halt -- and who knows for how long?  But, with this generously donated money, we know Sammy's therapy won't come to halt.  So, grateful?  Entirely.  My eyes fill up with tears just thinking about it. 

Hopeful.  For sure.  I've always been hopeful.  When it comes to Sammy, I have always felt that she was packed with potential, and we just needed to find a way to tap into it.  Recently, in a yearly evaluation, it was reported that her progress was "amazing."  That's my girl.  She's pretty amazing.  I can't imagine what things will be like after this therapy.  I truly believe it will help her...and I'm hopeful and EXCITED to see what we'll see. 

Today I was writing some thank you notes.  I was feeling immensely grateful, hopeful, and excited -- among other positive, happy feelings.  It seemed like each new letter was a continuation of thoughts...if that makes sense...so each letter was a little different.  Anyway.  It wasn't until I wrote my last thank you letter for the day when it occurred to me what I was really feeling.  I was feeling the Love of the Lord.  The gratitude, hope, and excitement are merely "symptoms" of the great infectious disease of L.O.V.E.  I feel hopeful because I feel love.  I feel excitement because I feel love.  I feel gratitude because I feel love.  I suppose the opposite argument could be made -- that I feel love because I feel gratitude, hope, etc.  But, I beg to differ. 

There have been a few times, specifically, when I can remember feeling love from my Father in Heaven...specifically for me.  It's not something I feel regularly, and I think that's only because I don't normally seek it out.  I get busy.  I get caught up in whatever I'm doing.  But there are moments when I feel His love on a more intimate level.  It's personal.  I realized today, that it's true: we can feel the love of the Lord through the service of others.  I have always believed that we can be the answer to someone's prayer when we take action.  I believe that we are God's worker bees, so to speak.  He could do it all Himself.  He has that power.  But, He prompts us to help each other for our own learning and growth.  Today, after months of all this fundraising for Samantha, it settled on my heart and I understood.  Everything I've felt over the past little bit, all this goodness, the overwhelming amounts of love from the community, is really the overwhelming amount of love of God -- through His children.  And, because of everything that has taken place -- I feel more connected to my community, to my family and friends, and definitely to my Heavenly Father.  I have been reminded of temporal and spiritual truths.

I've said it already, but this 5k has changed me.  And today was possibly the crowning moment of change for me.  A simple lesson on cause and effect -- all the little things that took place in the past couple months and the huge effect that has changed my life forever.